After 24 days of downtime and the theft of customer data by hackers, the PlayStation Network returned last night to the U.S. followed by the rest of the world. If you haven't tried accessing it, there are a few things you should know.
Before you can sign in with your PlayStation 3, you must install the v3.61 firmware. If it's faster or more convenient, you can download it to your computer and then install via USB flash drive.
When you do sign in (ideally from the console that created your account since that's required for a console reset), you'll be prompted to change your password. You can also change your password via the Web, which may be necessary if you no longer have that PS3 available for some reason. The new password needs to be 8 or more characters and use a combination of letters and numbers. Make sure it's not one you use anywhere else, for added safety.
Be patient. Everyone is trying to do this today, so Sony has had to take down the service sporadically due to high demand for password resets, and warns that emails may be throttled by ISPs working through long queues.
Also, not all services are back - mainly online gaming is available. Notably, the PlayStation Store is not back, and no timeline has been given for its return...
UPDATE: Here are the services confirmed to be online:
- Online multiplayer
- PlayStation Home
- Chat
- Friends list
- Trophy sync and comparison
- Hulu Plus
- Netflix
- MLB.tv
It' appears that you cannot add the apps for services that you don't already have installed (such as Hulu Plus and Netflix) since you need to download these from the PlayStation Store.
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